Department of Health and Social Care Media CentreNews and updates from the Department of Health and Social Care media team
2019-05-02T15:36:25Z https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/feed/DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=18112019-02-26T11:58:04Z2018-11-22T10:50:38Z

The Department of Health and Social Care is working to deliver a state-backed indemnity scheme from April 2019. We have provided answers to some FAQs below.

The final details of the scheme remain subject to ongoing discussions with partners including GP bodies, MDOs and commercial insurers. We will add to this Q & A on a rolling basis.

--

When will the new state backed indemnity scheme begin?

We are currently aiming for April 2019 for the introduction of the state backed scheme.

The questions relate primarily to the future liabilities scheme (FLS). This is the part of the scheme that will cover claims (within the scope of the scheme – see below) relating to incidents occurring from April 2019 i.e. claims made in respect of any clinical negligence that occurs after the scheme is launched.

Who will run the new scheme?

NHS Resolution will administer the scheme on behalf of the Secretary of State. Decisions on how the scheme will operate on a day-to-day basis will be announced in due course. Subsequently, it will be made clear who GPs should contact if they have any queries relating to the new scheme.

What will the new state-backed indemnity scheme cover?

Subject to satisfactory agreement on funding, the scheme will cover clinical negligence liabilities of general practice staff delivering primary medical services commissioned under GMS, PMS and APMS contracts and any integrated urgent care delivered by general practice through schedule 2L of the NHS standard contract. This includes standalone out of hours services commissioned under an APMS contract and services delivered by GP practices under primary medical services contracts in secure environments. Public health services provided by a GMS/PMS/APMS contract holder under arrangements with local authorities (where such services have been commissioned by the Secretary of State, a CCG, NHS England, an NHS trust or an NHS foundation trust and the contract holder’s principal and main activities are the provision of primary medical services) will also be covered under the scheme. This includes:

The state-backed scheme is being designed to meet the needs of current and future GPs, offer affordable cover for GPs, and offer value for money for taxpayers. Our intention is that individuals covered by the scheme will not be required to make any payments into the scheme. We would expect funding for the scheme to come from existing resources allocated for General Practice, and discussions are on-going with the GPC.

Will the scheme cover my practice staff?

Practice staff engaged in the delivery of the services or activities described above will be covered by the scheme.

Will the scheme cover GP trainees?

The scheme will cover GP trainees placed for training purposes in GP settings for clinical negligence liabilities incurred whilst in such a setting. As with all other professionals covered under the scheme, medico-legal cover for GP trainees will need to be provided separately as the scheme will not provide such cover.

Will the scheme cover pharmacists, paramedics and other healthcare professionals employed by primary care networks and/or federations but working in GP practices?

The scheme will cover all general practice employees delivering the services or activities described above. As long as primary care networks and/or federations are commissioned to provide services under GMS, PMS and APMS contracts and integrated urgent care delivered by general practice through schedule 2L of the NHS standard contract, they will be covered by the scheme.

Should I renew my current MDO membership and will I receive a rebate once the new scheme begins?

You must continue to comply with any professional indemnity cover requirements at all times. On the launch of the scheme, you will be covered for any clinical negligence arising from the NHS activities that are within scope of the scheme. You may need to continue with your current indemnity or other arrangements in respect of activities and services not covered by the scheme.

The precise rebate arrangements (if any) that may be provided by MDOs will depend on the approach taken by the relevant MDO. Where indemnity is paid for in advance for a whole year, some MDOs have stated publicly that they will reimburse doctors for the portion of cover they will no longer require once the state scheme begins.

You should check the arrangements relating to rebates with your MDO or insurer.

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=18042019-01-30T15:54:46Z2018-11-15T10:33:46ZIn early 2018, the Department for Health and Social Care commissioned a survey of GPs, Nurses and Pharmacists in General Practice.

The survey was designed to help the department understand current indemnity arrangements within General Practice, informing the development of the new state backed scheme.

We received more than 1,200 individual responses, providing us with extremely useful insight into current indemnity arrangements. We were concerned to see that over half of GPs, or practice managers who responded on their behalf, are unaware of the type of cover they hold.

We encourage GPs and other primary care professionals to be proactive in checking the terms of their current and previous clinical negligence cover. GPs and other primary care professionals with claims-paid or claims-made indemnity arrangements or insurance policies will be required to purchase run off cover separately themselves to ensure they are fully indemnified for any claims that may occur, unless the terms of their cover specify any defined circumstances where this would not be required.

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=17492018-07-17T12:50:04Z2018-06-13T15:14:24ZIn October 2017, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the intention of the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England. This announcement recognised that the rising cost of clinical negligence is a great source of concern for GPs. Since the announcement, the government has been working on developing the new scheme.

We are working closely with the Medical Defence Organisations and NHS England and remain fully committed to developing and implementing the scheme from April 2019.

Policy developments on scope of the scheme

Following the commitments made in the General Practice Forward View to address the pressures of indemnity costs in the short and longer term, we have been engaging with GP representatives, providers of primary medical services and practice staff to ensure the scheme and its scope is fit for purpose.

Ministers have decided that the scheme will include activities delivered under the primary medical care contracts (GMS, PMS, APMS). Recognising that delivering these activities is not limited to GPs, other professions where they are working under the primary medical care contracts will be included in the scheme. The scheme will also include work delivered under the primary medical care contracts that are delivered in secure environments.

Recognising that models of care delivery in primary care are constantly evolving, we want to ensure that the scheme is future-proofed for new activities and any new delivery arrangements and approaches.

The current intention is that the scheme will exclude NHS primary care dentistry and private dentistry, private healthcare and community pharmacy and optometry.

Completion of general practice survey

In March 2018, DHSC commissioned a survey of GPs, nurses and pharmacists in general practice. The survey was designed to help DHSC understand current indemnity arrangements within general practice, informing the development of the new state backed scheme.

Jeremy Hunt

DHSC would like to thank all healthcare professionals who took part in the survey – we received over 1,200 individual responses, providing us with extremely useful insight into current indemnity arrangements. Input into DHSC’s ongoing policy design work is crucial and we are grateful so many took the time to respond.

We are currently analysing the survey results and will share the key findings to the workforce, in addition to relevant stakeholder groups. We will continue to engage with GP representatives, providers of primary medical services and practice staff to ensure the scheme and its scope is fit for purpose. We remain committed to delivering a scheme that prioritises:

meeting the needs of current and future GPs and the wider primary medical care landscape

being in the interest of patients

representing value for money for taxpayers

We are exploring other avenues and opportunities to engage the primary medical care workforce in the policy development process, and will provide further details along with the key findings of the GP Indemnity Survey in due course.

Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Argentinian Government to work together against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to the drugs we use to treat them, including antibiotics. This sometimes leaves us powerless to treat what we often consider to be routine infections.

The primary contributor to the development and spread of AMR is the wide use of antibiotics in human and animal medicine, including livestock production. The subsequent pollution of drugs and resistant microbes in the environment can further amplify the global spread of AMR. This poses a great threat to both human and animal health, including livestock productivity and food security, which disproportionally affects people in developing and emerging economies.

That is why the UK government’s Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Argentinian Ministry of Health to work together on this issue.

To tackle the growing threat of AMR in agriculture and the impact on the environment, GAMRIF is committing £5m to a new bilateral UK-Argentina partnership with a resource-matched contribution from the Argentinian National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET).

This partnership will be delivered by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) on behalf of GAMRIF in the UK. This partnership will support bilateral, cutting-edge, research and development projects to reduce the impact of AMR in the environment from agricultural sources. Projects will drive innovation for urgently needed tools and solutions which will benefit people in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

The joint funding opportunity will be launched in Autumn 2018, with more detail being released in the next coming months.

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt said: “Working together with other nations to halt the threat of antimicrobial resistance is absolutely vital – because if we act alone, we will surely fail. Excess antibiotics in the environment can have a catastrophic effect and agreements like these will help to protect us in the future.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies, England Chief Medical Officer said: “I am pleased that the Global AMR Innovation Fund will be working in collaboration with Argentina – because we cannot look at this as a human health problem alone. With this investment, we aim to support innovative research and development projects which have the potential to save human and animal lives, whilst ensuring food security and economic development in areas of the world which are disproportionally affected by AMR.”

Notes to editors

GAMRIF is an Official Development Assistance (ODA) investment, which means all projects funded must meet ODA-eligibility requirements, and support research primarily and directly for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

While UK’s DHSC and Argentina’s CONICET are funding joint projects, DHSC will fund UK researchers and Argentina will fund the Argentinian researchers. This approach is based on the Newton Fund model, a funding initiative managed by the UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). However, the UK-Argentina bilateral partnership is a separate project established and funded wholly by DHSC.

The UK-Argentina partnership was announced during a bilateral meeting attended by UK Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt and the Argentinian Health Secretary, Prof. Dr. Adolfo Rubinstein as part of the 2018 World Health Assembly

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=17002019-02-26T11:59:10Z2018-04-12T10:47:38ZThe UK Government’s Global AMR Innovation Fund, managed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are partnering on a new initiative, aimed at reducing the emerging risk to global health and food security posed by antimicrobial resistance in animals.

Innovative Veterinary Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance—InnoVet-AMR—will fund research to develop new animal vaccines and other alternative innovations to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock and aquaculture production in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

InnoVet-AMR responds to a need identified by the international scientific and development communities, and supported with high-level policy processes—including the UN political declaration on AMR (2016), G7/20, Global Health Security Agenda and Action Plan, as well as Global Action Plans of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The initiative builds on DHSC’s expertise championing innovation by supporting research and technology to improve lives, and draws on IDRC’s history as a development research funder with decades of experience building knowledge-focused, cross-sector partnerships.

Through InnoVet-AMR, IDRC and DHSC aim to achieve two main objectives:

o Support research that will identify innovative veterinary solutions, including vaccines and alternative solutions, to reduce the use of antimicrobials in livestock and aquaculture operations in LMICs;

o Build effective partnerships to better coordinate discovery, development and sustainable delivery of affordable innovative veterinary solutions to reduce the use of antimicrobials in livestock and aquaculture operations in LMICs.

IDRC President Dr Jean Lebel said: “Antimicrobial resistance ultimately endangers health, food security, economic development and international trade, and poses a threat to human health. Beyond its deep impacts on livestock keepers and fish farmers in low- and middle-income countries, increasing AMR threatens to undermine the fight against infectious disease.

“The stakes are high and the window of opportunity is now. Through InnoVet-AMR, we look forward to working with our UK partners to lead a research-driven response to this critical global issue.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, said: “AMR does not respect borders between nations, humans, animals, food, or the environment. No one nation can tackle this alone, nor can any single sector. We have to make sure global action is sustained and coordinated in the most effective way.

“We all have to learn from each other, share our expertise to prevent us moving into a post-antibiotic era. This is why I am pleased to be working with Canada, particularly in their G7 presidency year. InnoVet-AMR will support research and development into alternative solutions and innovations to fight AMR in livestock and aquaculture everywhere in the world.

“I welcome this new and much needed, funding initiative as part of our Global AMR Innovation Fund.”

The InnoVet-AMR partnership was launched at a special event held in collaboration with Wilton Park, an international forum for strategic discussion.

A key element of the InnoVet-AMR partnership will be the associated research funding opportunity, which will be launched over the coming months. More information will be released closer to the funding call announcement.

The growing problem of dependence and addiction to prescription drugs is set to form the basis of an independent review announced today by the Government, as stark figures show one patient in eleven was prescribed a potentially addictive drug last year alone.

Public Health Minister, Steve Brine, has commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to undertake a thorough evidence review along with recommendations on how to address it.

The review will consider why:

Prescribing of addictive medicines has increased 3% over five years

One patient in eleven (8.9%) is prescribed one of these medicines

Antidepressant prescriptions in England have more than doubled in the past 10 years

A recent survey also found that 7.6% of adults had taken a prescription-only painkiller not prescribed to them

PHE will assess the scale of the problem, the harms caused by dependence and withdrawal, how they may be prevented and the best way to respond.

Many people benefit from medicines that treat problems like pain, anxiety and insomnia. But some of these medicines are highly addictive and result in dependence and withdrawal.

Public Health Minister, Steve Brine said:

“We know this is a huge problem in other countries like the United States—and we must absolutely make sure it doesn’t become one here.

“While we are world-leading in offering free treatment for addiction, we cannot be complacent—that’s why I’ve asked PHE to conduct this review.

“PHE has an excellent track record in robust evidence reviews, and this will help us understand the scale of this issue here and how we can address it.”

“It is of real concern that so many people find themselves dependent on or suffering withdrawal symptoms from prescribed medicines. Many will have sought help for a health problem only to find later on they have a further obstacle to overcome.

“PHE very much welcomes this opportunity as it is vital that we have the best understanding possible of how widespread these problems are, the harms they cause, as well as the most effective ways to prevent them happening and how best to help those in need.”

The review will cover benzodiazepines and z-drugs, pregabalin and gabapentin, opioid pain medicines and antidepressants. While anti-depressants are generally not recognised to be dependence forming, some patients experience difficulties when they try to stop taking them. For some, the symptoms of this ‘discontinuation syndrome’ are severe.

It will be a broad, public-health focused review of commonly prescribed medicines for adults who have pain (excluding pain from cancer), anxiety, insomnia or depression. Patient and prescription data, peer-reviewed published evidence and guidance will be analysed to determine:

prevalence and prescribing

the nature and likely causes of dependence or withdrawal

effective prevention and treatment responses

PHE will also consult with health professionals and people affected by the problem, including those supporting others to overcome it. The findings of the review will be published in early 2019.

Notes to Editors

PHE will publish a full scoping document in the coming weeks, with the findings of the review due in early 2019.

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=15612019-02-27T16:12:18Z2017-12-13T13:44:57ZHealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called on people to overcome a “fatal reluctance” to talk about organ donation with relatives, as he launches a major public consultation on plans to introduce a new opt-out system.

Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that in the past year around 1,100 families in the UK decided not to allow organ donation because they were unsure, or did not know whether their relatives would have wanted to donate an organ or not.

Every day three patients die needing a new organ.

In October, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will change to an ‘opt-out’ system, shifting the balance of presumption in favour of organ donation, in a bid to save the lives of the 6,500 people currently waiting for a transplant.

Currently, 80 percent of people say they would be willing to donate their organs but only 36 percent register to become an organ donor. It is hoped that changing the system to an opt-out model of consent will mean more viable organs become available for use on the NHS, potentially saving thousands of lives.

With the launch of the consultation today, Mr Hunt is starting an open conversation about opt-out organ donation.

Over the next three months, the Government is asking for comments on the defining issues of the new system:

How much say should families have in their deceased relative’s decision to donate their organs?

When would exemptions to ‘opt-out’ be needed, and what safeguards will be necessary?

How might a new system affect certain groups depending on age, disability, race or faith?

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

Every day, three people die for want of a transplant, which is why our historic plans to transform the way organ donation works are so important. We want as many people as possible to have their say as we shape the new opt-out process.

“But as well as changing the law, we also need to change the conversation – it can be a difficult subject to broach, but overcoming this fatal reluctance to talk openly about our wishes is key to saving many more lives in the future.

Only about half of adults on the current organ register say they have discussed their wishes with a relative, with people from black backgrounds among the least likely to have had an open conversation.

This is significant as only about six percent of deceased donors are black or asian, meaning that these patients are waiting six months longer for a suitable kidney transplant than white patients.

Ciara from Crystal Palace, who was listed for a second kidney transplant in August 2016, said:

I am fortunate in that I continue to believe I can live a very full life. I trust the right kidney will come along at the right time as was the case for my first transplant.

An important part of the consultation process is raising awareness around the matter of choice and how an opt-out system smoothens out logistics as well as raises the potential donor pool.

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said:

The Government’s commitment to an opt-out system is a commitment to ending the agonising pain felt by families who risk losing a loved one while they wait for an organ. There is a desperate shortage of organ donors in the UK, but around 8 in 10 of us say we do want to donate our organs.

Introducing an opt-out system in England will mean more people get the life-saving heart transplant they desperately need. In the meantime, it’s still important for all of us to have conversations with our loved ones about organ donation so our wishes can be met if the worst should happen.

Fiona Loud, Director of Policy at Kidney Care UK, said:

With eight out of ten people on the transplant list hoping for a kidney and at least one person dying every day while waiting, this consultation – the first of its kind in England – is a unique chance to change this. Whatever your views are on organ donation, please share them; and it’s a good time to make sure your loved ones know how you feel too because currently we have one of the lowest rates of consent to donation in Europe.

We have an opportunity to hear everyone’s ideas on improving consent and to reduce the number of people dying needlessly whilst waiting for a transplant so we urge everyone to take part, make your views known, and help shape the future of organ donation and transplantation in England.

This consultation into the future of organ donation in England is welcome news and an important opportunity for groups such as the BMA who’ve advocated for a ‘soft’ opt-out system to have their views heard.

Many patients are anxiously awaiting news of whether they will receive a life-saving transplant and we hope this is the first step towards addressing the serious shortage of organs for donation in England.

We hope this consultation allows the public to become fully aware of the process and that the potential increase in transplants can be facilitated and matched with adequate resources.

As a parent of a young man who sadly passed away from Multiple Organ Failure, I gladly welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to instigate a much needed public Consultation on the relative positive and negative merits of England having an Opt Out Donation policy. Looking forward I am expecting a wide spectrum of heated but ultimately constructive views and opinions from key stakeholders across the public domain, with the end goal of ultimately saving many more lives across the wide diversity of patients in England needing an organ transplant.

Millie Banerjee, Chair of NHS Blood and Transplant, said:

We welcome the Government’s commitment to the lifesaving power of organ donation, which is demonstrated by their desire to hold a consultation into an opt out system. We support any initiative which leads to more organ donors and more lives being saved. We hope the consultation starts a national conversation about organ donation. If you want to donate, please tell your family now.

Notes to editors:

The consultation will run for twelve weeks concluding on 6 March, after which a Government response will be published.

To mark the launch, the Health Secretary visited St. George’s hospital in Tooting, speaking to transplant surgeons and the families of several deceased organ donors.

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=15362019-02-26T11:59:56Z2017-10-27T15:34:02ZLast week (18.10.2017), the Department of Health launched a £15m fund to better support people at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis. This represents another crucial stage in Government-led work that has driven an 80% reduction in people being detained in police cells under the Mental Health Act.

The 'Beyond Places of Safety’ grant scheme aims to improve support services for those requiring urgent and emergency mental healthcare for a range of mental health conditions, such as psychosis, bipolar disorder or personality disorders that could cause them to be a risk to themselves or others.

This follows an initial £15m investment in the ‘Improving Places of Safety’ scheme, which aimed to improve health-based ‘places of safety’ for those experiencing a crisis, in order to ensure that fewer vulnerable people ended up in a police cell following detention under the Mental Health Act.

Since 2012, the number of people being detained in police cells under the Mental Health Act has fallen by 80%. The formation of the Crisis Care Concordat in 2014 was central to this improvement*, and this additional investment of £15m will help continue this positive trend.

The ‘Beyond Places of Safety’ investment will build on this positive trend by focusing more on preventing people from reaching crisis point in the first place and by developing new, innovative approaches to support people who experience a mental health crisis.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health said:

As part of the Government’s commitment to improving mental health throughout society, we are determined to go further to help people who are experiencing a crisis or feel they are approaching one.

We want make sure that therapeutic and empathetic support is in place to stop people falling ill, support them through crisis and help them recover.

Jackie Doyle-Price, Minister for Mental Health said:

There can be few experiences more frightening and disorientating than mental health crisis, and I commend the teams already providing brilliant support with help from our previous grant scheme. This additional funding will give local areas scope to do even more, and I look forward to seeing lots of innovative ideas for improving urgent and emergency mental healthcare across the country.

Through the ‘Improving Places of Safety’ scheme, we were able to transform the centre at Warneford hospital from a very clinical empty space to a safe and friendly haven. We created a relaxing family-friendly room with a TV, tea and coffee facilities and murals on the walls where patients can be together with their families in a stress-free environment. We are also hoping to soon commence work to create another safe space for people with mental health problems.

We were pleased to hear that the Government is now launching a second scheme so local areas have an opportunity to further improve their services for people in mental health crisis."

Timeline of government work to improve urgent and emergency mental healthcare

In 2012, over 8,600 people experiencing mental health crisis were detained in a police station in England under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

*In 2014, 22 national bodies spanning health, policing, social care, housing, local government and the third sector came together with a shared goal of improving the provision of health and community-based places of safety for people suffering mental health crises. They marked their commitment by signing the Crisis Care Concordat.

In 2015/16 the number of people being detained in a police station in England under section 136 of the Mental Health Act dropped to 1,764 - meaning 80% fewer people are being detained in this way.

Improving Places of Safety scheme – examples of progress so far

£30,000 was allocated to Gloucestershire and Herefordshire to provide a Health based place of safety that’s suitable for young people.

The East of England Ambulance service and Sussex police both received funding for street triage vehicles equipped to support those in crisis wherever they are in the area.

A dual diagnosis support service was set up in Doncaster, so anyone in crisis can self-refer, and get help more quickly and easily.

If you’re linked to a local Crisis Care Concordat that would like to submit a bid to launch a ‘Beyond Places of Safety’ project in your area, you can find out more and download the application form here. Bids opened on Wednesday 18 October 2017 and will remain open until Sunday 21 January 2018.

]]>DH Media Centrehttps://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/?p=15222017-07-04T13:10:30Z2017-07-04T13:10:30ZNHS must seize the genomics potential so everyone with cancer or a rare disease can get faster, better treatment, says the Chief Medical Officer.

Tens of thousands of people have already had their DNA mapped

NHS must go further to make sure more patients benefit

Expansion of genomics will mean faster diagnosis of disease and more precise treatments

Next generation of NHS medics must be trained in genomic medicine

The UK is a world leader in genomic medicine but its full potential is still not being realised, Professor Dame Sally Davies—England’s Chief Medical Officer—said today.

Launching “Generation Genome”—a report on genomic medicine—the nation’s top doctor called on clinical staff, managers and the Government to work together to make wider use of revolutionary genetics techniques in the battle to improve cancer survival rates and identify rare diseases faster so patients can get the right care at the earliest opportunity.

A series of recommendations are set out in the report, including:

All genomic laboratories should be centralised and a national network established to provide equal access across the country;

A ministerial chaired National Genomics Board should be set up;

Genomics training should be offered to all for existing clinicians;

The next generation of clinicians should be equipped to practice genomic medicine

Genomic testing can result in faster diagnoses and precision treatment. An increase in genomic testing will stop the “diagnostic odyssey” where patients with rare diseases face having multiple tests without a diagnosis—wasting years and money while causing distress.

Currently, the average rare disease patient in the UK consults 5 doctors; receives 3 misdiagnoses; and waits 4 years before receiving their final diagnosis. Genomics has the potential to stop that.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said:

The age of precision medicine is now and the NHS must act fast to keep its place at the forefront of global science. This technology has the potential to change medicine forever but we need all NHS staff, patients and the public to recognise and embrace its huge potential.

Genomic medicine has huge implications for the understanding and treatment of rare diseases, cancer and infections—ending the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ and tailoring treatment for more patients than ever before.

Patients with cancer or a rare disease should have access to genomics-based care, and health and care professionals should consider this as a standard part of their approach.

In addition to setting out steps on how to continue the expansion of genomics in the short term, Professor Davies sets out the long term vision and potential for genome sequencing.

She recommends that in future, all NHS patients should be able to access genome testing and patients should come to expect it like they expect an MRI scan today if it is required. Genomics should be mainstreamed into all elements of the NHS from the wards to screening policy. Already the ability for researchers to analyse and compare genome maps are resulting in scientific breakthroughs and new cures.

Professor Sir John Savill, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, said:

The Medical Research Council welcomes the CMO’s far-sighted report with great enthusiasm. Proposals are made that will ensure that patients benefit more rapidly from the UK’s world-leading medical research. In particular, Dame Sally emphasizes that ethically sound use of medical data not only benefits individual patients, but also benefits the population in general. This is a landmark report of great national importance.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said:

This timely report from the Chief Medical Officer showcases just how much is now possible in genomics research and care within the NHS. Further understanding and application of genomics will be essential to successfully tackling cancer and saving many more lives from this devastating disease.

Cancer Research UK shares the CMO’s ambition for the UK to build on its global position as a leader in clinical trials, and transform the outlook for patients through delivering cancer trials that are personalised through genomic analysis. Cancer Research UK is determined to streamline research, to find the right clinical trial for cancer patients and to ensure laboratory discoveries benefit patients – our recent £10m investment into a network of trials for pancreatic cancer is just one example of the strength of this commitment.

To bring the CMO’s vision to life will require action by the Government, the NHS, regulators and research funders. It would be a disservice to patients if the UK were slow to respond to innovations in this area.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said:

I welcome the Chief Medical Officer’s independent report on genomics. We should be incredibly proud that over the past five years the UK has established itself as a world leader in genomic medicine. Tens of thousands of patients across the country have already benefitted from quicker diagnosis, precise treatment and care and we will support the NHS to continue its relentless drive to push the boundaries of modern science to benefit even more people.

The Department of Health backs the 22 new vaccines and diagnostic devices with the potential to eliminate the world’s deadliest diseases.

UK scientists to benefit from £25 million funding pot.

Hunt: This investment will make it more likely the next major breakthrough will be discovered in Britain

Today, the Department of Health has announced a multimillion pound funding boost for 22 new vaccines – all with the potential to take on diseases with epidemic potential such as Ebola, Zika and MERS.

Infectious diseases do not respect borders so by leading the world in global health we are strengthening our defences against deadly diseases and protecting UK citizens.

Many of the winning projects, including SMEs and teams based at leading universities across the country, will be able to begin work immediately thanks to this funding.

£25million has been made available to support these exciting projects. Teams across the UK will receive their share of £10m of upfront support to their projects at an earlier stage of vaccine development, with a further £15m available to support the projects that demonstrate the most early success take it the research to the next stage.

This latest commitment expands the Department of Health’s existing world-leading investment, directly supporting 48 projects to develop 53 vaccines to tackle the world’s most dangerous diseases, as well as five projects supporting technologies to improve the manufacture and administration of vaccines and new diagnostic devices. As well as saving lives around the world, this funding will support the UK economy with a £7 return on every £1 we invest. This investment is estimated to result in the creation of 147 jobs across the country

These projects will be the latest to benefit from the UK Vaccine Network – a £120 million fund launched after the Ebola crisis to support Britain’s world-leading role fighting deadly diseases.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said:

“The UK is leading the global fight against deadly diseases and we can be proud of the research in British laboratories. It is vital our world-class research companies build on this success and remain at the forefront of work to develop vaccines against life-changing diseases such as Zika and Ebola.

“Our continued investment will continue to support the best and brightest minds, secure highly skilled research jobs, and make it more likely the next major breakthrough will be discovered in Britain.”